Delia was shocked. “What happens in these factories?”
“The factory owners are brutes,” said Minnie in a dark voice. “The machines are not safe. It is easy when overworked to try to put a hand somewhere it shouldn’t be or get hair caught in the spinning jennies or looms. It happens all the time. No one cares. The owners just get new workers to replace the old.”
Delia shuddered. She had never heard much about the conditions in Northern factories. All she knew was that factories had sprung up like mushrooms since the invention of machines. She had never even been north, so she had never seen them.
She shuddered again. It really was a cruel, harsh world out there for most people. She suddenly felt ashamed. Here she was, railing against her fate when she was part of the privileged class. She never had to face the thought of working in a factory or scraping to make ends meet. She knew nothing of poverty or desperation. All she had to do was marry a wealthy, titled man and live in the lap of luxury for the rest of her days. She should count herself lucky.
She took a deep breath. She didn’tfeellucky. She had as much control over her destiny as those poor people forced to work in the Northern factories. She might never know hunger or desperation like that, but she still had no choices in her life. By virtue of her sex, no woman really did. She was at the mercy of the powerful men in her life. And that was not freedom either.
A cage was still a cage, even if it was gilded.
Chapter 5
Delia gazed out the window. The carriage was being prepared. Her trunks had already been taken down and were now being hoisted onto the top in preparation for the short journey to Lord Stanton’s home. It would probably only take about an hour to get there.
Dreaded Thursday had arrived. She was already dressed and ready to depart. Minnie had quickly dressed her before changing into her best frock and bonnet for her journey north. The thought of her friend leaving, even for a short while, dismayed her. But she knew she would see Minnie again. It was as nothing compared to the trepidation of this house stay and the ball on Saturday when her betrothal to Lord Stanton would be announced.
Delia dropped the curtain. Aunt Verity was travelling separately and would arrive to chaperone her at Lord Stanton’s house sometime today. Everything was arranged. Her fate was sealed. Once she was at that house, events would run away from her. They already had.
The door opened, and Minnie walked in. Delia tried to smile, but it felt like her face was about to crack. Minnie was dressed in a plain brown gown with a little smocking on the bodice. Her bonnet was brown, too, with red cloth roses around the rim and red ribbons securing it beneath her chin.
“You look pretty,” she said to the maid, trying to sound normal. “Are you excited for the journey?”
Minnie rolled her eyes. “No. I have travelled on public stagecoaches before, my lady, and it is always a rough trip. They hurtle along the roads, not even swerving for potholes. But I will manage.” She took a deep breath. “My trunk has just been placed on the milk cart. It will drop me at the crossroads to wait for the coach north.”
Delia’s eyes filled with tears. “So this is it, then,” she said, her heart thumping. “This is goodbye.”
Minnie’s face softened. “I will be back in a week. Probably before you are back from your house stay. The time will go quickly.”
Delia nodded. She didn’t know what to say. For she knew everything would be different when they next saw one another. She would be an engaged lady. And there was simply nothing she could do to change that awful fate.
She thought about those other faceless ladies, who had also been confronted with such a fate and had grown desperate, running away. How she wished she had their courage. How she wished that there was a way she could escape….
She kept staring at Minnie. A thought had just flashed through her mind, with the suddenness and clarity of a bolt of lightning. A shocking thought. A dangerous thought.
What if she and Minnie were to swap places?
Her heart started thumping hard, and she could barely breathe. Itcouldwork. Neither of them was travelling with anyone who knew them. They were the same age, height, stature and had the same shade of golden hair. She had often thought they could be mistaken for sisters. If they changed outfits, they could be mistaken for one another.
Delia felt like she might faint. She couldn’t ask her maid to do this. Could she?
She felt sweat trickle down the back of her neck. Time was ticking by. They were both due to depart. If she was going to ask Minnie, she must do it now, before it was too late. Before the opportunity was gone forever.
“Minnie,” she said, her voice sounding very far away to her own ears. “Would you swap places with me?”
Minnie’s blue eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean?”
Delia’s mind was racing now. “We could change outfits,” she said in a breathless voice. “You could journey to Lord Stanton’s house disguised as me, and I could get on that stagecoach going north…pretending to be you.”
“But how could that work?” Minnie’s voice was incredulous. “No one would mistake me for a lady! As soon as I get there, they will know, and then they will track you down and retrieve you.” She exhaled slowly. “You will be in so much trouble. And I will lose my position.”
“By the time anyone realises you are not Lady Cordelia Pelham, I will be in London,” said Delia quickly. “They will only know I am on that stagecoach if you tell them.”
She turned around, rushing to her jewellery box. She took out a sack of coins.
“I can give you all of this,” she said, holding out the bag towards the maid. “There is alotof money here. I have been saving coins since I was a child. All gold guineas. It will tide you over until you can find another position.” She took a deep breath. “And I promise I will help you if you get into any other trouble. You have my word. I swear it to you on my life, Minnie. I will move heaven and earth to aid you if you need it.”
Minnie stared at the bag of coins. She didn’t speak. Delia could barely breathe as she waited to hear what Minnie would say.